Trakonius Review Summary

Fun, addictive, and hard to stop with great combat feel, though unbalanced difficulty, boss spikes, and frequent bugs and crashes hold it back.

Frequently described as fun: Cluster 1, with 18 mentions, overwhelmingly highlights the game as fun and enjoyable. Multiple review snippets emphasize that the gameplay is engaging and makes players want to continue playing.

Addictive and hard to stop: Clusters 5, 23, and 8 collectively describe the game as addictive and engaging, with players noting it's hard to put down and doesn't get boring. The gameplay loops keep players coming back for hours.

Seen as having potential: Cluster 4 (6 mentions) and Cluster 16 (2 mentions) both point to the game's potential, especially in early access. Players believe it can improve with updates and offers room for development.

Great combat feel: Clusters 26, 30, 34, and 31 collectively praise the combat system as satisfying, fast, and well-balanced. The hit feel, dodge, and parry mechanics receive specific commendation.

Overall positive reception: Cluster 2 (7 mentions) shows that players generally liked or loved the game overall, with several noting a good overall experience. This reinforces the broad appeal of the game.

Unbalanced Game Difficulty: Players report severe balance issues where the opening days are crushing and combat feels unfair. Difficulty spikes are common, especially at bosses, creating frustration.

Boss Difficulty Spikes: Specific bosses like the Day 8 boss, first chapter final boss, and Septimus are repeatedly cited as unfair, overtuned, or bugged. Many players get stuck for hours or cannot progress at all.

Bugs and Crashes Frequent: Many bugs are reported, including crashes that reset progress to day 1. The game is described as buggy and in need of urgent fixes.

Repetitive Gameplay Loop: The game becomes repetitive quickly, with a mundane 'dodge, hit, dodge, hit' combat loop and lack of variety. Dungeon progression is missing.

Combat Lacks Impact and Fluidity: Combat feels janky, lacks impact, and has issues like inability to cancel attacks into defense. Controls are awkward, with attack direction tied to movement keys.

Boss encounters and variety: Players frequently mention boss fights, including varied and challenging encounters with unblockable red attacks and multi-hit combos. Specific bosses like the Minotaur and an early first boss are highlighted.

Skill tree and progression: Players can upgrade their character through a skill tree using souls, with passive and active skills. Progression also includes a character development system and permanent upgrades across deaths.

Weapon variety and classes: The game offers a variety of weapon types including spears, swords, shields, heavy two-handed weapons, and daggers. Classes such as the spear class are available.

Parry and dodge mechanics: The combat system features parry and dodge mechanics with timing windows, often combined with perfect block and counter systems. These mechanics are central to the gameplay experience.

Roguelike structure and loops: The game is described as an action roguelike/roguelite with hack-and-slash gameplay, where players restart from the beginning after death. It features a round-based structure and day progression cycles.

Widespread Crashes and Freezes: Players report frequent crashes, freezes, black screens, and unexpected shutdowns across various points in the game. Issues occur during combat, menu navigation, and even idle gameplay, often forcing a restart.

Optimization Lacking Across Systems: The game is poorly optimized, causing overall stuttering, high system temperatures, and constant fan noise even on capable hardware. Players describe the performance as taxing and in need of major improvement.

Frequent FPS Drops: Many users experience significant FPS drops on high-end GPUs like RTX 4060 and 5070 Ti, particularly during boss fights, arena areas, and pressing Escape. These drops severely impact combat performance.

Menu and UI Lockups: The game can lock up when using the Escape menu or pressing Tab, often requiring Task Manager to close. Alt-tabbing while interacting with certain areas also causes screen locks.

Progress Loss After Crash: Some crashes result in progress being reset, either to the beginning of a level or to turn 1, causing significant setbacks. This issue compounds the frustration from frequent crashes.

Not recommended in current state: A significant number of reviewers advise against buying or playing the game until it receives fixes, citing bugs, crashes, and lost progress. Many plan to reevaluate their recommendation after full release or major updates.

Roguelike fans enjoy this: Many reviewers recommend the game for fans of roguelike games, comparing it to Hades and praising its appeal to genre enthusiasts. It is frequently suggested for players who enjoy action roguelite or hack-and-slash mechanics.

Recommended for fans of genre: Many positive recommendations target fans of the roguelike genre, with some calling it a must-play for enthusiasts. It is also suggested for players who enjoy character development and build customization.

Worth buying at low price: Several reviewers consider the game worth the money, especially given its affordable price and the amount of enjoyable content it provides. It is seen as a good value for players seeking a cheap and fun experience.

High difficulty and grind: The game is noted for its high difficulty and grind-heavy progression, with reviewers warning that players must die repeatedly and farm extensively. It is recommended for those who enjoy challenging games and progression through time played, but not for those who dislike difficulty or grinding.

Game completion: 15.0h.

Story completion: 15.0h.

Session length: 1.5h.

For many players, the game starts with a punishing, grindy learning curve and basic upgrades, but becomes highly enjoyable and addictive once that curve is overcome. Some players report immediate fun in the first hour, while others find the repetition prevents the game from ever clicking.

Friction: Early learning curve; Early game getting demolished; Repetitive, grindy, punishing missions; Boring basic stat upgrades; Weak sense of progression; Nearly impossible first boss.

Unlock drivers: Learning curve being behind you; Time played translating into progression and gear upgrades; Returning stronger after harsh early runs; Addictive run-based reward loop.

Roguelike Mechanics Veteran: Aggressive, mechanics-focused play with parries, dodges, and weapon experimentation, demanding fair challenge and meaningful build choices. Motivation: Mastering challenging combat mechanics and optimizing builds to overcome bosses. Stance: sale.

Build & Progression Optimizer: Grinds for resources, plans build synergies, and invests time in incremental progression. Motivation: Accumulating wealth, optimizing builds, and upgrading equipment to become stronger. Stance: buy.

PvP/Co-op Seeker: Arena-style combat, seeking PvP or co-op modes to extend replayability. Motivation: Engaging in competitive or cooperative multiplayer battles. Stance: buy.

Across the Windows hardware cohorts, user snippets consistently report FPS drops and stuttering, including during cinematics, boss fights, and on higher-end GPUs. Negative technical reports dominate the included evidence.

Windows <8GB VRAM: negative. Players report FPS drops in boss fights and when opening menus, plus bosses getting stuck and insufficient fluidity even in a recommended review.

Windows 8-11GB VRAM: negative. The included review is not recommended, citing repeated FPS drops during the opening cinematic on a Windows 11 system.

Windows 12-15GB VRAM: negative. The included review is not recommended, reporting FPS drops with a 5070 Ti even in a small game.

Steam Deck: The filtered reviews reveal significant Steam Deck / Linux friction driven primarily by stability problems. Multiple users, writing in Turkish and Japanese, report frequent crashes and a recurring black-screen bug that keeps combat running while the display goes dark, making boss fights unplayable. Another user explicitly runs the title on Linux Ubuntu via Steam's Windows compatibility (Proton) layer and notes 'many bugs', confirming the experience depends on the compatibility stack. Users also describe losing progress after crashes, which amplifies the impact. No evidence of external launchers or unreadable text was found, but the frequent crashes and rendering failure clearly place the experience in the broken tier.

Turkish studio developed game: Multiple reviewers highlight that the game is created by Turkish developer Teneke Kafalar (also with Edvar Studio). This cultural origin is frequently mentioned and viewed positively.

Playtime varies 12-30 hours: Reported completion times range from about 12 to 30 hours, with many finishing in 13-17 hours. This indicates moderate length for a roguelike.

Comparisons to Hades frequent: Reviewers often compare the game to Hades, noting similarities in the roguelike genre. Some contrast it unfavorably, stating that Hades provides a stronger sense of progression.

Ongoing development and updates: The game is still in development with a small team, but the developer actively releases updates and listens to feedback. Recent patches have improved balancing and added content.

Game is in early access: Many reviews note the game is currently in early access, with some expressing uncertainty about future content. The early access status is widely acknowledged and shapes expectations.